Why Vegetables Are Essential in a Diabetic's Diet

Eating vegetables is healthy. Vegetables are rich sources of several nutrients that are essential to our bodies' health and overall well-being. For diabetics, vegetables are extra special. Not only are they rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they also contain only a small amount of carbohydrates.

Less carbohydrates are good for diabetics because carbohydrates are converted into sugar during digestion. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more sugar your body produces. Diabetics should watch their sugar level. Too much sugar in the blood and a person with diabetes will be at risk. By substituting carbohydrate-rich foods with vegetables in their meal, diabetics can have a healthier meal and will take in less sugar too. They should make sure though that they are not losing a good source of another nutrient by substituting often. It's best that diabetics maintain a well-balanced diet to keep sugar levels normal and still have enough source for other nutrients that the body needs.

Expert nutritionists insist that vegetables are best when eaten fresh and raw, if possible. Vegetables can also be lightly steamed, roasted, or even grilled, though. Diabetics should avoid canned vegetables with lots of sodium and vegetables cooked with too much oil, butter, cheese, or sauces with lots of sodium. If you can't get them fresh, frozen vegetables are good alternatives. They can be slightly steamed before eating.

Vegetables are also rich in fibers. Fibers help in slowing the process of turning carbohydrates to sugar, a quality that can help prevent the sudden rise of sugar levels in the body. They are also more filling because the fibers they contain are sometimes only partially soluble, thus they retain their volume even when inside the stomach. This helps prevent overeating which can lead to obesity, another serious condition that a diabetic must certainly avoid. By staying intact inside the body, fibers from vegetables also help in bowel movement and are proven to prevent constipation.

Diabetics must be vigilant in preventing their bodies' sugar level rising over the acceptable levels. Vegetables can help them in this area in several ways. As an added benefit, vegetables are naturally rich in much-needed vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, and they contain little carbohydrates which means less sugar in the blood. Vegetables should be a regular part of a diabetic's meal. In fact, most cookbooks that are written specifically for diabetics focus on vegetables, as well as on fruits.